Quincy “Q” Miller is a versatile 6’8” forward with a 7’ wingspan. The Chicago native moved to North Carolina to improve his life and he has succeeded. Miller enrolled in Quality Education Academy, a charter school in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and his recruitment has taken off. Through natural growth and an improvement in his skills, Miller went from being an under-the-radar prospect to a consensus top ten player in his class. After visiting the campus, he was recently given Duke’s first offer of the 2011 class.

During the LeBron James Skills Academy, Quincy Miller sat down with Blue Devil Nation to talk about a multitude of topics, including reminiscing about the day he was offered by Duke a place in their 2011 class, what the transition was like from Chicago to Winston-Salem, and his rapid ascent in the eyes of coaches and evaluators. [private]

Other Reporter: Quincy, I’m sorry. What schools are you looking at again?

Quincy Miller: Duke, Oklahoma St., Memphis and some other schools.

Other Reporter: Wake Forest?

Quincy Miller: Yeah, Wake Forest

Other Reporter: Louisville?

Quincy Miller: Yeah, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan St., Texas, Tennessee

Other Reporter: Where are you at, in terms of trying to make a decision?

Quincy Miller: I’ve visited a couple of schools, but I ain’t trying to make any decisions.

Blue Devil Nation: Can you talk about your first big sneaker camp? What are your hopes and expectations?

Quincy Miller: I just wanted to show everybody that I can play inside and outside, but I was really frustrated.

Blue Devil Nation: How did you think you shot in the first half?

Quincy Miller: I didn’t really think I shot good. I probably only made one. I just wanted to defend my position anyway. I still had a big impact in the game…The second half I kept drawing fouls. Dudes had to hack me.

Blue Devil Nation: Talk about the transition from Chicago to Winston-Salem, NC

Quincy Miller: It’s been pretty good for me really. I didn’t really have no colleges. Ain’t nobody know about me or nothing. It was like a year and a half ago.

Blue Devil Nation: How good is the level of competition you’ve faced in North Carolina?

Quincy Miller: Real good

Blue Devil Nation: Because you don’t play a traditional public school schedule in North Carolina, I heard that your program was trying to play in more tournaments and play around the country perhaps.

Quincy Miller: Yeah, it was good.

Blue Devil Nation: On a recent visit to Duke, Coach Krzyzewski offer you a scholarship. Can you take the audience through what went on during that trip and your reaction when they wanted you to be the first guy in your class that they offered?

Quincy Miller: I just went on a visit there and they sent me a couple of…

Blue Devil Nation: When was it? Try to paint the picture of that day for the audience.

Quincy Miller: It was last week. I went on a visit to Duke and they showed me the facilities for a little bit. Then, I went and talked with Coach K in his office for, like, an hour and a half. Then, during the last twenty minutes, he offered me a scholarship. I was pretty proud of that because I was the only person to have a scholarship offer in my class.

Blue Devil Nation: Sure, the first and only one…That must’ve made you proud.

Quincy Miller: Yeah, and then I went and played with the players. I just did real good against the players.

Blue Devil Nation: Which players?

Quincy Miller: Jon Scheyer and Mason Plumlee.

Blue Devil Nation: Did you play on the perimeter against them?

Quincy Miller: Yeah, I can play inside and outside.

Blue Devil Nation: There have been some comparisons in the past, by you and others, to guys like Durant, Odom, and even Bosh. In what ways do you feel you are similar and in what ways are you different?

Quincy Miller: I try to model my game after Kevin Durant, but also, at times, Kevin Garnett. When I got somebody small on me, I try to go inside and be aggressive. When I got somebody tall on me and slower, I try to take him outside.

Blue Devil Nation: How tall are you expected to grow to?

Quincy Miller: I think about 6’11.”

Blue Devil Nation: Jesus, that’s going to be unfair.

Quincy Miller: (laughs) Yeah, yeah, man.

Blue Devil Nation: Tell the audience which visits you’ve been on and do you plan on doing any unofficial visits in the near future?

Quincy Miller: Just Duke, North Carolina, and Wake Forest so far. I’ll probably go visit some others at some point.

Blue Devil Nation: How have you played?

Quincy Miller: I’ve been playing real well and I just trying to establish myself as one of the top players.

Blue Devil Nation: What is the set up at Quality Education Academy?

Quincy Miller: It’s a charter school and we just live there. It’s like a boarding school because we live right next to the school there. We got an honor system there where, like, a “C” is a “B”

Blue Devil Nation: Do you hit the weights there?

Quincy Miller: Yeah, I hit the weights there, like, every other day. We try to do different things.

Blue Devil Nation: What position are most colleges recruiting you as?

Quincy Miller: Oh, a power forward.

Blue Devil Nation: Where do they have you play in high school?

Quincy Miller: Power forward too, but they let me play anywhere. Out on the perimeter, you know.

Blue Devil Nation: Now, do you feel comfortable banging down low against other big guys too?

Quincy Miller: Yeah, I do, but I just try to use my quickness and athleticism.

Blue Devil Nation: What weight do you want to be by the time you arrive at college?

Quincy Miller: Right now, I’d like to come in at 220, 215. Something like that.

Blue Devil Nation: Now, some big guys that tend to play on the perimeter were guards that had late or large growth spurts. Was that the case with you?

Quincy Miller: Well, in eighth grade, I was 6’1.” When I was a freshman, I was 6’4.” Then, in my sophomore year, I became 6’9.” I don’t know if I’m going to grow anymore or not.

Blue Devil Nation: Tell the audience about your uncle, Lamont.

Quincy Miller: Yeah, my uncle…he’s the one I mover up here with. He took care of me, when I moved. He’s very important to me, you know what I’m saying.

Blue Devil Nation: Where do you like to catch the ball?

Quincy Miller: Free throw line extended

Blue Devil Nation: In terms of skill development, what are some areas that you’d like to work on over the course of this summer? Have you set any goals?

Quincy Miller: I want to work on everything, but especially my strength and getting my foot speed up…so that it’ll be even harder for the defender to guard me. My goal is that by the end of the summer I want to weight 205.

Blue Devil Nation: What do you weigh now?

Quincy Miller: Like 197.

Blue Devil Nation: Now, for your high school team, you’re going to playing around the country. What are some places that the fans can catch you?

Quincy Miller: Oh, I don’t know exactly, but I know we’re playing in the Colt Classic and the Battle By the Bay in New Jersey.

Blue Devil Nation: Can you give a scouting report for the fans? How does the opposition try to cover you?

Quincy Miller: Well, you’ve got to have a big man that’s just like me. If you put somebody small on me, I’m just going to go inside. If you put somebody big on me, then I’m going to go outside. Basically, you’ve got to get a kid about my height, who can move just as good as I could.

Blue Devil Nation: Whenever you do decide on a college, what are the most important factors that will go into your decision?

Quincy Miller: “Comfortability,” style of play, and how much of a focal point I’ll be.

Blue Devil Nation: Who will be the people that you turn to when you ultimately decide on a college?

Quincy Miller: My uncle, Brian Clifton, my high school coach, and my mother

Blue Devil Nation: What style of play appeals to you?

Quincy Miller: I feel I can play any style of play. Whatever it takes to win.

Blue Devil Nation: How about your shooting? What’s your range normally?

Quincy Miller: I can shoot the three, but I don’t have deep range. I can keep the defense honest.

Blue Devil Nation: What do you think is your greatest strength right now?

Quincy Miller: Versatility

Blue Devil Nation: What would you like the audience to know about you away from the court?

Quincy Miller: I’m a funny kid. I’m having fun all the time.

Blue Devil Nation: What’s your “go-to” move? Do you have one?

Quincy Miller: Take my man down and spin move on him.

Blue Devil Nation: Can you talk about your communication skills? You do a lot of talking during the games.

Quincy Miller: (laughs) Yeah, I’m a big talker, man. I talk all the time no matter what.

Blue Devil Nation: Leadership ability?

Quincy Miller: I’m always a leader on whatever team I play on.

Blue Devil Nation: What’s your feeling about Duke, both as a program and as a university as well?

Quincy Miller: Oh, I love Duke. They’re a real good program and I really like Coach K, but I ain’t trying to make no decisions right now.

Blue Devil Nation: What aspects of your game can you work on during the AAU season that you cannot work on at QE? How do you differentiate the two?

Quincy Miller: In AAU, I can take the ball up the court, maybe fast break, and pass it to teammates. You know, like, set up the offense. Because in high school, my coach don’t really let me do that because he wants me to get the ball and take my man off of the dribble.

Blue Devil Nation: Can you assess your defense? Who’s been the most difficult guy for you to guard?

Quincy Miller: That’s a tough one because I guard guards too, man. I’ve guarded a lot of tough guys, but I guess I’d have to say C.J….C.J. Leslie.

Blue Devil Nation: What happened in Akron? You wanted to get out of doing drills, right?

Quincy Miller: (laughs) No, no, man, I just couldn’t make it.

Blue Devil Nation: How do you feel about AAU? Do you consider this really your first year?

Quincy Miller: Yeah, this is my first year. Well, I mean I played with Squires last year, but they were a small one… so, like, this is my first year with a big one.

Blue Devil Nation: Do most people call you Quincy or Q?

Quincy Miller: Yeah, they call me Q.

Blue Devil Nation: Lastly, can you talk about Coach Pitts for a moment?

Quincy Miller: Coach Pitts is a great guy. He’s created so many opportunities for me. He put me in so many great spots.

Blue Devil Nation: Did you ever think this kind of thing would happen for you?

Quincy Miller: No, man, I still can’t believe it. I just became the number three player in the country. It’s so unbelievable.

Blue Devil Nation: The guy over there (Clark Francis) had you ranked in the hundreds just two years ago.

Quincy Miller: Yeah, I was ranked in like the hundreds.

Blue Devil Nation: I was talking with another player (Kyrie Irving) about this a few months ago. Did they just completely miss the boat on you or did you really come out of nowhere with your newly found game?

Quincy Miller: I think my game just kept advancing, man. It just kept coming along.

Blue Devil Nation: Thanks a lot and keep pushing yourself to improve.

Quincy Miller: No problem. Thanks. [/private]